An apologetic Stewart has offered to pay for new radios and uniforms for USAC officials.

I think Stewart has proven he's a good person at heart, but around the track he sometimes lets his emotions get the best of him. But what Stewart did at the USAC event went a bit too far. He can be angry and yell all he wants, but to get physical with somebody who's just trying to do their job is crossing the line.

Now I actually like it when an athlete shows some personality, that's why the celebration antics of a Terrell Owens or Chad Johnson don't bother me one bit.

In the big scheme of things, these are games. It's entertainment. On some level it's meant to be fun.

In case you missed it, the irascible Tony Stewart was on full display during a USAC race at O'Reilly Raceway Park on Thursday.

Stewart was upset that officials wouldn't let his driver Tracy Hines back onto the track after a wreck. As he argued vehemently he knocked the headset off one official and then shoved another. It's nothing that NASCAR officials will punish him for, but I imagine he won't be able to attend any USAC races for awhile.

My quicktake on mikeyfan's theory: If Hendrick was/is playing shenanigans with the equipment he shipped to Haas (and I for one don't believe that to be the case), with Stewart's arrival I actually think that type of behavior would end. 1. I think Hendrick has a lot of respect for Stewart and 2. Stewart would have the expertise to tell whether he was receiving junked up equipment.

Even more than that though, I think it's a more complicated process than Hendrick drops a bunch of engines at the door and leaves. There's some sharing of information involved. The problem with Haas in its current incarnation is

1. Drivers: No offense to Scott Riggs and all the other who have passed through the Haas CNC doors, but for the most part these are journeymen. With Stewart, that excuse is out the door.

2. Money: It's not as simple as hooking up the engine and boom you're gone. There's still testing and the technical engineering for the set-up of the car. Stewart's arrival will bring an infusion of cash from wealthier sponsors. Stewart also isn't going to be the only new face in that garage. There's going to be a lot of talented people in more technical roles who'll be making their way to Stewart Haas.

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But what about Joe Gibbs Racing? The assumption is that Joey Logano will take over the 20 car. If that's the case, that's a young crew they got there: Denny Hamlin 27, Kyle Busch 23 and Logano 18.

On one hand, that's great because they have a plethora of young talent. On the other hand, with youth comes immaturity, which Busch, even with six wins, and Hamlin have certainly displayed this season. Not that Stewart has been a prince his entire career, but he's definitely toned it down in recent seasons and has become a respected veteran presence.

We don't know enough about Logano to know how he'll react when times are tough, but Busch and Hamlin don't take it well and have been known to cause a fuss.

I think Stewart's influence at JGR will be missed. I'm not saying JGR will fall into dire straits without Stewart, but I think next year you'll see a dip in performance.

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And one final point, I don't buy the argument that now that it's official that Stewart is leaving, JGR will supply him with inferior equipment the rest of the season. Perhaps I'm naive, but I just don't see Gibbs treating him like that. Not only that, but they've got their sponsors, namely Home Depot, to support as well. As strong as the JGR Toyotas have been this season, I fully expect Stewart to pull off a win (perhaps even Saturday night) or two or three this season.

Publicly, Biffle has stated he wants to stay with Roush Racing, but he's been pretty tough on the organization at times, including Saturday at Darlington when pit miscues and a parts failure knocked him out.

If it's true that Gibbs is interested, it may not be a bad move. It could be considered a lateral move for Biffle, but if he's upset with the equipment he's getting a Roush, a change of scenery would do him good.

But the interesting aspect of this report is that it sure appears JGR is preparing for Stewart's departure.

So a checklist of the top drivers on the rumor wire include David Ragan, Biffle, Stewart, Ryan Newman and Martin Truex. I know all these drivers say they want to stay right where they're at, but I'd be shocked if everything stays status quo.

Here's my latest guess on where drivers end up:

Ragan -- likely stays with Roush; possibly jumps to RCR

Biffle -- Roush or Gibbs

Stewart -- partnership with Hendrick or RCR

Newman -- Penske or RCR

Truex -- DEI or Hendrick

The RCR ride is the tricky one. While it's a great opportunity with a top organization, it won't begin next season in the top 35 in owner points. So even for a great qualifier like Newman, there's always that possibility rain could cancel qualifying, knocking him out of the race. So drivers currently in a ride that's in the top 35 like Newman, Biffle, Truex and Ragan really have to weigh whether a move to RCR is wise. It's why Bobby Labonte (who has been long rumored for the ride) or Stewart make a bit more sense because they have the champions provisional to fall back on.

Of course, there have been maneuverings before where owner points were transferred, such as the DEI-Ginn deal last year, so RCR may have something up its sleeve yet to make sure the car is top 35 by the start of next season.

I can't wait to see how this turns out. It has gotten to the point where I'm as interested in Silly Season as I am the racing.

A few weeks ago, a couple of reports said Bobby Labonte was signed, sealed and delivered to the fourth team Richard Childress Racing. It made sense because RCR had signed General Mills, Labonte's current sponsor on the 43 car at Petty Enterprises, as the new cars sponsor.

I'm thinking that this will bear out and Labonte will remain with Petty. So just who will man the seat of the fourth RCR car?

Carl Edwards came off the market Friday, and if you believe Greg Biffle, he has every intention of re-signing with Roush as well, going so far as to say he's not even looking elsewhere.

I can believe it. RCR is probably the only team that can offer him an immediate chance to win besides Roush. But if he switched teams, he'd be under the gun the first five races to qualify on speed. I don't think that's a position he wants to be in because you can never account for weather. Unless the money is absolutely out of this world -- and I don't think it would be for Biffle's services -- he's in the best situation he can be in right now.

Now I gotta believe that Tony Stewart is at the very top of RCR's wish list. I think RCR is in a good position to offer him an intriguing package, but I'm sure Stewart will have plenty of similar offers. And there's also the little problem of whether Gibbs would let him out of his ride early. So while Stewart is intriguing, there are several hoops to jump through.

The next best free-agent on the market is Ryan Newman. He has been linked to RCR in past rumors. Despite his Daytona 500 victory, he hasn't had the season he'd hoped for thus far. He has been with Penske for his entire nine-year Cup career, so there's some loyalty there, but a change of scenery might do him well just like it did Jeff Burton. He'd have to qualify on speed the first five races. But barring weather, that wouldn't be much of a problem for him because he's one of the best qualifiers in the series.

If Childress were to go a little younger that could put a driver like Reed Sorenson into the mix. Ganassi hasn't kept secret his disappointment with all his Cup teams' results this season. It's not that I think Ganassi wants to get rid of Sorenson, but if things don't turn around, he definitely could go in a different direction. I'm not quite sure where Sorenson's contract stands. He could choose to leave of his own volition and if RCR offers him a deal he should jump. Though I know they're working hard there, Ganassi Racing still has yet to show it's a top tier Cup operation.

David Ragan could be a target if Roush drags his feet while trying to decide who should stay between him and Jamie McMurray with the four-team limit nearing. Accoding to Jayski, Ragan's contract is up at the end of the year as is sponsor AAA. So the Roush operation has a lot of contract details to work out.

Scott Wimmer is doing part-time work for RCR in the Nationwide Series and select Cup races. Considering the lack of a full-time Nationwide ride for Wimmer, I don't see him getting a full-time Cup gig.

The news spread quickly last night as a couple of reports surfaced that Tony Stewart wanted out of the final year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, which runs through 2009.

According to the reports, Stewart wants to join Haas CNC Racing, nabbing a 50 percent ownership stake in the process.

Expect a testy Stewart at Talladega as no doubt he'll be asked about these rumors ad nauseum.

Where it goes from here is anybody's guess.

The only reason I'm not completely laughing the rumor off is that Haas CNC receives engines and support from Hendrick Motorsports, so in all practicality it's a satellite operation. But even with that support, Haas CNC is a NASCAR bottomfeeder. Why would Stewart want to leave one of NASCAR's great teams for that?

I can't imagine that even the addition of Stewart would do much to change the fortunes of Haas CNC. Since Danica Patrick's win this past weekend, I've been on my soapbox that success is about more than a driver. It takes great personnel from the top to bottom of an organization. A driver can't do it alone.

Now I'm not saying the rumor isn't totally without merit. I don't doubt that Stewart may want out. When Joe Gibbs Racing made the switch to Toyota, my thought from the start was that Stewart would eventually want out to rejoin forces with Chevrolet. But Haas CNC Racing?

There's a couple of Chevrolet scenarios that make a bit more sense to me.

1. Stewart buys a stake in Haas CNC, but signs to drive for Hendrick Motorsports -- after all, the generic version is never as good as the brand name. Mears gets shipped from the No. 25 to one of the Haas CNC rides.

2. Richard Childress Racing has a fourth seat to fill starting next and Stewart is good buddies with Kevin Harvick. If he's that's interested in ownership, perhaps he could by into Harvick's team.

That's all pure speculation on my part, but would make a lot more sense than Stewart simply wanting to leave JGR for Haas CNC unless he has become bored with success.

With the kettle now in full bubble mode, don't expect this to die down unless/until Stewart signs an extension with JGR.